A Black Trump supporter who attacked police officers during the January 6 Capitol riots has been sentenced to over five years of prison.
According to NBC News, U.S. District Judge Tanya Chutkan handed down a 63-month sentence to be served in federal prison by Mark Ponder for his actions on January 6 during riots spurred by former President Donald Trump’s lies about the 2020 election.
Ponder’s sentence is among the longest thus far imposed for January 6. Robert Scott Palmer was previously handed down the same sentence for assaulting law enforcement officers at the Capitol with a fire extinguisher.
Testimony from Capitol Police Sgt. Aquilino Gonell was featured during Ponder’s sentencing hearing.
Per the government’s sentencing memo, Ponder “charged” Gonell, “waved [a] pole aggressively, and then attacked” the Capitol police sergeant.
“Ponder struck the riot shield with such force that the pole snapped and broke apart as it made contact with the shield, and the top portion of the pole flew off to the side,” the sentencing memo said. “Ponder then retreated back into the crowd. The screenshot below captures this assault.”
According to reports, Gonell said he would “never be back in uniform” because of the injuries he sustained on January 6.
Ponder later attacked another police officer who has been identified as J.C. and eventually joined insurrectionists inside the tunnel as they tried to enter the Capitol.
About 850 people have been arrested in connection with the January 6 insurrection and hundreds more cases are in the works.
Get the latest news 24/7 on The Black Information Network. Listen now on the iHeartRadio app or click HERE to tune in live.